Theodore Bikel Tribute Concert Set for 54 Below, 8/5

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, and KulturfestNYC, the citywide week-long summer mega-festival that brought in over 50,000 attendees, present "Another Hundred Years" on Wednesday, August 5th at 9:30pm.

Performed by a Broadway cast and accompanied by multimedia, "Another Hundred Years", part of KulturfestNYC's Encore Series, features popular show tunes spanning from Tin Pan Alley to today, from operettas to contemporary musical theatre-- celebrating the influence Jewish culture has had and continues to have on shaping The Great White Way. From Irving Berlin to Rodgers and Hammerstein to Bock and Harnick to Stephen Sondheim to Jason Robert Brown the Jewish influence on Broadway's music and lyrics has carried from one century onto the next.

The evening will also feature a special tribute to Theodore Bikel (z"l), actor, singer-songwriter, legend, and friend of the NYTF. Bikel, a frequent collaborator with NYTF performed in the company's 2009 Off Broadway production of Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears and was most-recently presented with a lifetime achievement award at KulturfestNYC's closing ceremony on June 21, 2015. Among his Broadway credits, Bikel originated the part of Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music.

Longtime friends performing in his honor will include David Edwards (Broadway's By Jeeves) who performed with Bikel in the original The Rothschilds and in Fiddler On The Roof, Jonathan Hadley (Broadway's A Class Act and Bob Crewe in the National Tour of Jersey Boys) who performed opposite Bikel as Perchik in the Fiddler National Tour and Peter Davenport who played Captain Von Trapp in the 1st National Tour of The Sound of Music.

The concert is produced in conjunction with National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's [NYTF] historic 101st Season and is performed in English. Special guest contemporary songwriters will have their work showcased towards the evening's end, and a "Jewish Broadway"-themed menu will be available for noshing.

"We're passing along the torch," says NYTF Executive Director Bryna Wasserman. "The concert is an homage to that which was and some insight to what's around the corner. Theo [Bikel] shaped the world through his songs. It's our honor to pay tribute to his legacy as an artist and activist."

"There's a bright future for musical theatre," adds Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek, "and it's our delight to put a spotlight on it and in working with the Broadway community to bring this concert to 54 Below."

The Broadway cast is comprised of Loni Ackerman (Evita, Cats), Lawrence Craig (Baz Luhrmann's La Bohème), Russell Fischer (Jersey Boys), Andrew Keltz (The Golden Land), Garth Kravitz (The Drowsy Chaperone), Elyssa Brette Mactas (Mean- The P!ink musical, Chix 6), Sean McDermott (Grease, Falsettos, Miss Saigon, Starlight Express), Ashley Moniz (Sister Act, 9 to 5, Legally Blonde), Jessica Mortellaro (To Kill A Mockingbird, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Wizard of Oz), Abigail Shapiro (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas), Maddy Trumble (Newsies, Wicked), Alan Wiggins (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Lion King), Amos Wolff (Gigi, Follies, Chicago).

"Another Hundred Years" is conceived and produced by Chris Massimine, KulturfestNYC's Executive Producer and NYTF's COO; Jamibeth Margolis; and Megan Minutillo. Minutillo will also direct. Ben Krauss (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) will provide Music Direction.

Songs include (subject to change): How Deep Is The Ocean (Irving Berlin); I Got Plenty of Nothin' (Geroge and Ira Gershwin); Brother Can you Spare a Dime (E. Y. "Yip" Harburg and Jay Gorney); If I Were a Rich Man (Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick); Edwelwiess (Rodgers and Hammerstein); Sunrise, Sunset (Bock and Harnick); In My Own Lifetime (Bock and Harnick); We Want Everything (Bock and Harnick); Shalom (Bock and Harnick); I'm Still Here (Stephen Sondheim); Blame it On the Summer Night (Stephen Schwartz and Charles Strouse); All the Wasted Time (Jason Robert Brown); Live Out Loud (Andrew Lippa); What Would I do (William Finn), Anytime I Am There (Finn); Heart and Music (Finn).

"Another Hundred Years" plays 54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on August 5th at 9:30pm. Tickets starts at $25 and there is a $25 food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.com and www.nytf.org. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00pm are only available by calling (646) 476-3551.

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